


The Little Mermaid

by C1oudStrife



Category: Kingdom Hearts, Phantom Kingdom | Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome
Genre: F/M, The Little Mermaid AU, bloody legs/oozing blood, fairy tale AU, kinda more the dark one tho. but also not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 22:24:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16774090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C1oudStrife/pseuds/C1oudStrife
Summary: The mermaid princess, Pram, meets a human man who intrigues her. She decides she wants to meet him in person, and thus finds a way up onto the shore.





	The Little Mermaid

**Author's Note:**

> ;w; i feel the need to give a fair warning in advance that these two will probably be pretty OOC, bc lets face it, if they got together on their own itd just be chaos. so i tweaked some things and used the personalities from the versions i know as well at least so that the story moves in a way that still keeps to the fairy tale, since the challenge was to write them in the characters' place, lmao

Deep in the coldest depths of the sea was a kingdom of crystals, that glowed mystically, hidden from human eyes.

Within the kingdom lived various mer-beings of all shapes and sizes. On the throne sat a mighty king, dark scales and icy crystals making him a threatening sight to behold.

Among the king’s many prized possessions in his kingdom lived a daughter. While mature, she was small, and rather reckless, still holding strong to the belief she could accomplish anything. The princess’s name was Pram, and she was easy to catch sight of with her beautiful white hair and silver scales.

One thing Pram loved the most was adventure. She loved her kingdom in the sea, but she was always curious about what more existed. She’d already memorized all the secret caverns of her home, and thus, as she got older, began exploring further and further from the castle.

It was one day, as she was exploring far out into the sea, that something up near the water’s surface caught her eye. She swam up for a closer look, and was surprised to find a large boat. She could hear music playing from on top of it, and lights and movement hinted some sort of party.

Pram swam around the boat, trying to get a better view, but it was just too tall for her to see what was going on. The music was tempting, though, and she was entranced by the strange instruments she heard in the sounds.

Curious and interested, she began to sing along with the strange music. Her voice carried across the waves, strong and cold, like a siren’s tune.

Almost immediately, she heard shushing and hushes coming from the boat. The music stopped, and she quit singing almost as abruptly. Pram and the boat both sat in silence for several moments.

Then, a head popped over the side. Pram darted into the shadows, cursing her bright colors, hoping it was enough to not be seen as she studied the stranger.

It was a man, from what she could tell at her current angle. He had pale silver hair, only a shade darker than her own, and his yellow eyes had an eerie glow to them, cutting through the darkness. Pram pressed herself close against the boat, hoping his eye color wasn’t indicative of some form of night vision.

Thankfully, though, he was far more focused on the distance away from the boat. “Hello? Is anyone out there?” His voice was beautiful as it rang out over the water. Pram stared at him, mystified, almost forgetting how important it was to hide.

She went unnoticed, at least. The man looked out at the sea a bit longer before giving up and moving back out of sight.

Pram swam away from the boat as the music slowly started to pick up again. She stared up at it again, finding herself wishing she could climb up onto the boat to partake in the party. The sea was well known to her, a wide open world she’d learned since birth, but the strange new things above the surface intrigued her. She knew nothing about these strange beings who didn’t need to live within the water.

Shouting began to replace the joyous music coming from the boat. An explosion sounded, and people jumped or fell into the water as the boat began sinking. Pram caught sight of the silver-haired man from earlier as he, too, fell over the side.

Instinct took over, and Pram dove underwater. She rushed past the other strangers straight to the man with silver hair.

He was unconscious, making no effort to right himself or fight the tide. Was it safe for him to breathe in the water? Pram realized she didn’t know.

She did know, though, that he didn’t need the water to breathe just a moment ago. Whales and dolphins needed air, maybe this man did as well. Only one way to find out, and it seemed better than potentially letting him drown when he was in no state to swim.

Pram grabbed the man and dragged him up to the surface of the water. The boat was in shambles by that point, a fire slowly shredding the rest apart as planks were swept away by the ocean.

She certainly couldn’t leave him there to recover. Pram looked around. If there was a ship, there had to be a shore it came from, right? That was what she’d learned about boats, they always came from some sort of port or something attached to land.

After some thinking, she picked a direction and began to swim, careful to keep the man’s head over the water. She wasn’t sure if there was land that way, but considering it was the opposite of what direction the boat was going, surely that meant that was where it came from? It was a hopeful guess.

Thankfully, the guess proved successful. Pram soon came upon a beach she could lay the man on. She gently placed him in the sand and swam back into the water a bit to give him space.

She waited a bit, but he still wasn’t waking up. Pram frowned, worried, and approached the shore again. Using her arms, she hoisted herself up onto the sand next to him.

Pram gently put a clawed hand on the man’s chest. There was still a heartbeat, and some mild state of breathing. He was at least alive.

Trying to help him breathe seemed like a bad idea. She was a being from the water, and was holding her breath as best she could as it was considering the itchiness of air on her gills. The surf splashing up on her tail was probably the only thing keeping her from uncomfortably drying up outright.

She scooted back into the waves a bit further, and, not knowing what else to do to help, began to sing. It was an empty, worried tune.

As she sang, a different sound was heard. The man suddenly coughed and spluttered, springing to life. Pram dove back into the sea, startled by the sudden movement. Instinct tried telling her to flee, but she was curious, so she fought against the panic and carefully peeked out of the water.

The man coughed out seawater and slowly worked at sitting up. Someone else rushed to the shore to help him.

“Xehanort! Prince Xehanort, are you alright?” The person shouted as they approached.

The man, whose name Pram filed away in memory, looked up, still coughing.

“Where’s the ship? The crew? What happened?”

Xehanort shook his head, clearing out the rest of the water from his lungs.

The new stranger helped him up, letting him lean his weight against them. “We need to get you to a doctor. You can say everything there.”

“But…” He finally managed to cough out a word, and looked out over the water. Pram ducked her head down a little further, just in case.

“What? What is it?”

“That singing…”

“Singing? I didn’t hear any singing.” The person put a hand against Xehanort’s head. “Oh, it might be worse than it looks. Come along, we have to make sure you’re alright. You could have hit your head.”

Xehanort looked back toward the sea once more before accepting being pulled away. Once he was out of sight, Pram dove back under the water and swam toward home.

Xehanort… The name rang through her mind all the way back to the undersea castle. He was beautiful, handsome, whatever term was needed to describe his radiance.

Pram had found herself helplessly in love with the strange land-walking man.

Her father found her twirling and dancing around in the throne room. He chuckled. “Why, what could possibly have you in such a good mood today?”

Pram swam up to him, still dancing with joy. “Oh, father, I’m feeling the most wonderful emotions. I must be in love!”

Her father smiled, oblivious to the full context. “That’s wonderful dear. Your fiancé will be happy to hear that.”

Pram’s dancing slowed to silence. She had completely forgotten about her arranged marriage.

“Is something wrong?”

“Hm?” She feigned a smile. “No, of course not.” There was a lot wrong. Mainly the fact that she wanted nothing to do with a marriage she didn’t approve. She also realized, though, that if her father found out about who her love interest really was, she would be in serious trouble. However, there was absolutely no way to rationalize with her headstrong father, so quiet seemed the best option.

Her father, thankfully, did not question the sudden change in emotions. “Very well then.” He gave Pram a pat on the head and continued on his way.

Pram turned and left the throne room herself, going the opposite way. She wasn’t quite sure what to do now. She desperately wanted to see Xehanort again, to really meet him, or at least check up on him, but if anyone caught her it would be a disaster. Including Xehanort, really. Those who lived above the surface weren’t supposed to know about the existence of the undersea kingdom.

Pram swam and sighed, with no particular direction to go. The realizations felt like a harpoon to her heart. How would she ever be able to see Xehanort again?

Her emotions began to overwhelm her, and she only barely noticed the dark shadows that flickered just within her sight.

A strange eel slithered into view, its milky white eyes focused on Pram. “What ails you, princess?”

Pram blinked. She didn’t know this eel, but it seemed to know her. She didn’t really know every loyal subject of the kingdom.

She sighed, deciding to pour out her woes, though not wanting to give too much away in case the eel turned around and informed her father. “Oh, friend. Love is such a fickle thing in the kingdom. I’m meant to love and marry a man I hardly know, but what if the union blinds me to what else is out in the world?”

The eel grinned a strange, toothy grin. “Ah, yes. Such is a woe of royalty.”

“As if you’d understand such a thing.”

“I understand more than you think.” Its grin grew wider, until it seemed like every pointed fang was visible. “The Mother can help ail your woes. She lives in the deepest, darkest chasm of the sea. Go, and find the answers you seek.”

The Mother? Pram had never heard of such a being. The eel certainly didn’t mean her own actual mother, who lived in the castle with her family. Before she could ask anything though, the eel turned, and was gone in one quick movement.

Pram stared at where the eel just was, and thought. It hadn’t even told her where the darkest chasm was. What if she tried searching for it and ended up in the wrong one?

Did she actually even want to go looking for it? She was already thinking about all the chasms she knew of, and she was pretty desperate for an idea of how to meet Xehanort. It couldn’t hurt to go meet this Mother and listen to her idea.

Pram thought harder, and recalled a chasm not too far away that seemed as though it didn’t have an end. It was worth checking out, and if the Mother wasn’t there, Pram could easily go home and forget the strange eel’s advice.

She found the chasm easily. It looked as though a giant sharp claw raked through the sea and left a gaping scar behind, nothing visible beyond the gaping hole of the sea’s wound.

Pram swam down into the chasm, deeper, and deeper, until the light along the sea was only a tiny crack floating above her head. As she swam even deeper, she began to feel silly for her idea. The eel had probably been making up stories, and now she was wasting her time swimming down the deepest chasm she knew. It would probably be faster to swim back to the top than to try finding the bottom.

She turned around, ready to give up, when she caught sight of a light coming from below. She swam toward it instead, and was surprised to find a cave, glowing with strange blue and purple plants. Eyes peeked out from the various fronds as she swam inside, though they quickly darted away.

At the very end of the tunnel she found an open room, with a cauldron in the center and various other glowing life forms and artifacts hanging from the walls.

Pram moved around the room, inching closer to some of the glowing items to get a better look at them. Despite her knowledge of the sea, she had absolutely no idea what anything in the small cave was.

“Can I help you?” A feminine voice called from the entrance, and Pram whirled around to view the owner.

She was a merperson, though not one Pram had ever seen before. Black scales covered most of her body, with strange glowing blue and purple marks etching patterns along her form. Spare fins stretched out from various points, far more than Pram had ever seen on a single merperson alone. Topping off the look were milky white eyes, impossible to miss next to the dark scales etching along her face.

Pram tensed, ready to fight if she needed. “Are you the Mother?”

She cracked a smile, full of fangs. “I am. Does that change my question’s answer?”

“It does, yes. I need help, but my father can’t know about it.”

“Ah, such is the life of a daughter.”

That sounded like an agreement. “There’s a man, above the sea. I so desperately want to meet him, but…” Pram held her tail out in front of herself and waved it.

“I think I see the problem, yes.” The Mother moved closer into the room, surprisingly agile with her many fins.

Pram watched her move around the walls, being reminded of a sea snake, or something else unnervingly slithery. “So can you help me?”

“I believe so, if you do.” She was pulling a few things from the walls, carrying them to the cauldron.

“I do believe.” Pram swam to the cauldron herself, peeking inside. She didn’t understand the brew at all, but the Mother seemed to be intent on making something.

“Good, good. I’ll be happy to help, then.” The Mother looked up as her brew boiled. “However, my magic always comes with a price.”

“Whatever it is, I can pay it.” Pram’s father would be ashamed if he found out what she was buying, but if it meant meeting Xehanort again, it had to be worth it.

“Oh, no. Not that kind of price, dear.” The Mother dragged a cup through the brew, pulling out something that looked almost gelatinous.

“Then what?”

The Mother smiled. “I know young love when I see it.” She gently placed the cup in Pram’s hands. “This magic will ensure you three days with a human form to spend time with him in. However, a mermaid’s tail to human’s legs is no simple task. So you’ll have to put up with a bit of pain during your visit.”

Pram nodded, and went to drink, but the Mother put a hand over the cup to stop her, continuing her warning. “The result of those three days is up to you. If you can convince him to fall in love with you, and receive true love’s kiss on any of the three days, you will stay a human forever by his side. No true love’s kiss, and you’ll return right back to the sea, with a scarring reminder of your choices.”

Pram nodded again, but the hand stayed over her cup. “I understand.”

The Mother removed her hand, allowing Pram to drink. The texture was as gelatinous as it looked, and it felt slimy going down Pram’s throat.

For a moment, Pram wondered if it had even done anything. Then, a searing pain shot through her tail, as if it was being split in half. She looked down, and her eyes widened as she realized that was exactly what was happening.

Her tail agonizingly split itself apart into two legs, complete with feet. She stared at them in awe before realizing she couldn’t breathe anymore, and quickly covered her mouth. She looked toward the exit. How would she make it out of the chasm before drowning?

The Mother laughed. “Oh, right, I suppose I should help you with one more thing before you simply drop dead in my home.”

A whirlpool began spinning around Pram as the Mother twirled her hand. It spun faster, faster, until Pram lost consciousness from the strength of the water.

When she woke up again, Pram found herself on a beach. She panicked, ready to dry up and die without water, and sat up quickly, desperate to find the sea again.

“Hey, easy.” Hands grabbed her, and kept her from flailing around too much.

She looked up at their owner, ready to fight, when she realized she recognized the man in front of her to be none other than Xehanort. Pram looked down at herself, ready to be worried this time about her tail, when all the memories came rushing back to her. Instead of her tail, her body ended in normal human legs, though now they were oozing blood into the sand.

“What happened to you? Can you tell me your name?”

“...Pram.” She looked up from her bloody legs, not wanting to focus on them.

Xehanort nodded. “My name is Xehanort. I found you washed up here and got concerned.” Pram watched his eyes trail down to her legs. “We should go get you some medical attention… and some clothes, actually. Can you stand?”

Xehanort let Pram lean on him as she shakily stood up, but she grunted as pain started shooting down her legs when she put weight on them.

“Here, it’s alright. Don’t push yourself.” A cloth was gently wrapped around Pram, and, before she could argue anything, she was suddenly picked up, one of Xehanort’s arms cradling her top half while the other was tucked under the weight of her legs. She blinked and looked up at him, a bit stressed by the angle, but glad to be off her feet.

Xehanort smiled down at her before he started walking. Pram found herself so enamored by the closeness of his presence she hardly noticed where he was even taking her.

Then, the beautiful open skies were replaced with a tall, arching ceiling. She was used to the concept of ceilings, the undersea kingdom had a few, but something about it still set her slightly on edge. The unfamiliarity of everything else, she supposed.

Xehanort brought her into a smaller room and gently set her on what looked like a bed. He turned away from her and waved, grabbing someone else’s attention. “Medic? I need some assistance over here.”

A man, likely whoever “medic” was, grumbled something under his breath and walked over to the bed. He stopped and gasped at the sight of the blood seeping out of Pram’s legs. “What in the sea’s name happened? I’ve never seen anything like this!”

Xehanort shook his head. “I’m not sure. She hasn’t said yet.”

Both men looked at Pram, as if expecting an answer. She frowned. She couldn’t exactly just tell them she was a mermaid who turned her tail into legs. That would ruin the point of the whole spell. Instead, she decided a little lie wouldn’t hurt. “I… can’t seem to remember.”

Xehanort nodded, and looked back up at the medic. “Check her head as well, then. I found her on the shore, she may be from a capsized ship.”

“There seems to be quite a few incidents out on the water these days.” The medic gave Xehanort a look, as if the two were having a conversation they weren’t expecting Pram to understand.

Xehanort rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to throw a comment, but before he could, the medic called assistants into the room. Other people hoarded around Pram, and Xehanort was quickly moved out of the way to make space for them.

Pram scowled with discomfort as the group worked, but even after hours, no one was able to find a source for why her legs oozed blood the way they did, and she kept quiet about the spell that had truly caused it.

After finding no injuries to her head either, the group backed up to ponder a plan on what to do. For the moment, they decided to bandage her legs so they wouldn’t bleed everywhere and gave her a wheelchair so she wouldn’t have to put weight on them.

Xehanort had come back with a dress for her as well. Pale white, with accents of blue, there were a few comments about worrying if her blood leaked it would stain. However, he insisted, stating that it was the best dress he had for her, and blood was a perfectly cleanable substance.

Pram was given privacy as a couple nurses helped her into the dress, and then she was wheeled out to meet Xehanort again. She smiled up at him, still happy to see his face in person.

Xehanort smiled back. “I’m not really supposed to converse with the common stranger, but we did exchange introductions. Should I give you a tour of the castle?”

“I would love that.”

Xehanort stepped behind her wheelchair and began pushing it, rolling her through the halls of the castle. He knew each room well, giving blunt or detailed descriptions for each, which seemed to be based on his own personal history with them. Pram couldn’t help but remember her own kingdom and how much she had investigated it over the years.

Eventually, as the sun started going down, the two returned to one of the rooms and stopped. “Do you have anywhere to stay?”

Pram shook her head.

“I had a feeling.” Xehanort opened the door and wheeled her into the room. “You can stay here as long as you need. Trust me, it’s my family’s kingdom, so it’s mine as well. No one will mind.”

“Thank you.” Pram shakily stood up and shifted to the bed, her legs still hurting with every awkward step. “Are you the heir to the throne?”

Xehanort chuckled. “Something like that. My parents certainly don’t seem keen on giving it up anytime soon, though, so they’ve given me placeholder royal duties while I wait.”

“Sounds fun.” Pram giggled over the sarcasm in her voice.

“If you like being known as the royal face around town and out at sea, sure. Plus getting a bit bored by the constant pampering due to the common fear of your family should anything happen to you.”

Both laughed, with Xehanort still completely unaware of just how much Pram could understand some of his problems.

The prince walked to the door and smiled over his shoulder one more time. “You can find a gown in the dresser there next to you. I moved it so you wouldn’t have to move too far to find it. Rest well, Pram.”

She offered a goodnight as well, and he left the room. Pram flopped down onto the bed and hugged one of the pillows. Being able to talk to Xehanort felt like a dream come true. She didn’t even miss the water, it just felt so wonderful being able to spend time with her beloved. Besides, the sea wasn’t too far away. Xehanort had been able to walk home. Pram could come back and visit it if she got worried.

Before long, Pram fell asleep, unaware of when she had even slipped into unconsciousness again. She dreamed of all the wonderful moments she and Xehanort could spend together now that nothing was there to separate them.

Pram woke up early the next morning, and quickly realized she had accidentally fallen asleep in her dress. She jumped up and started smoothing it out, wincing as she put her weight on her legs. A knock sounded on her door as she worked, and she quickly stumbled into her wheelchair. “Come in.”

It was Xehanort who entered. “Good morning. Did you sleep alright?”

“Wonderfully, thank you.”

“Wonderful.” Xehanort smiled. “So, there happens to be a ball tonight. Would you be interested in joining? I see no reason for anyone to complain about giving you an invite.”

“I would love to.”

“Great!” Xehanort stepped behind Pram’s wheelchair and began pushing her out of the room. “I would imagine your bandages need changed before you go too far. Then we can worry about getting you more suited for the ball.”

“More suited? Is there something I’m not prepared for?”

“Well…” Xehanort looked down at her for a moment before going back to keeping an eye on where he was walking. “I suppose dancing will not be much of a worry, it seems far too strenuous on your legs. I would imagine you would like to get a bit more pampered up though?”

The dress made Pram feel a bit pampered already, but she decided she’d give human beauty preparations a try.

Pram was wheeled back into what was likely the infirmary, and the nurses from before helped dress the wounds on her legs again. She watched closely as they removed the bandages, cleaned her legs up a bit, and applied fresh new wrappings.

Once they were finished, a new group of women came in with several supplies. Behind them, Xehanort smiled from the doorway, waving to Pram before ducking out of the room completely.

At first, stress hit. Pram didn’t recognize anything they were carrying save for some fabrics that reminded her of the dress she was currently wearing.

Listening to the women, though, she slowly figured out it was just all human beauty supplies. The group was busy discussing colors and shapes of outfits, along with other things Pram didn’t really understand, as they started laying their supplies out and picking through them.

Apparently, by Xehanort’s request, they decided to stick with the use of blues and whites in her clothes. Her dress ended up traded out for one even frillier, which she was surprised to find possible. A pale blue choker was carefully placed around her neck, paired with matching blue bands around her lower arms.

The group tried putting some sort of strange texture on her skin as well, calling it makeup, but Pram scowled and quickly convinced them to change their minds. The women opted instead to thread a few jewels through her hair and clothes to complete the look.

It was only when Xehanort returned that Pram realized several hours had passed. The sun still hadn’t quite set yet, but she had ended up spending most of the day away from him. She wanted to be upset, but she feigned a smile instead. The reason for her presence in the castle was a secret, and she had to keep it that way. No sense worrying anyone about it.

Xehanort smiled in return and wheeled her out of the room. “I have to get to the ball early, but there are a couple more hours to wait through before then. Shall we find somewhere quiet for a bit?”

“That sounds like a lovely idea.”

Xehanort ended up wheeling Pram up onto a balcony. From it, she could see the beach, and watch the sun slowly set closer toward the sea. Pram couldn’t really say she missed her home, but looking out at it again made her a bit nostalgic.

As Pram thought about her life, Xehanort spoke up beside her. “Through my childhood, when I was deemed too young to leave the castle, I used to come up here and watch the sea. I’ve always had a bit of a fondness for it.”

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“That it is.” Silence fell over them as the two simply watched time pass, though after a while Pram realized Xehanort had actually been looking at her. She only caught the sight out of the corner of her eye, but quickly tried hiding that she noticed, just in case.

Soon after though, Xehanort backed away from the railing. He probably noticed. “It’s probably about time we should get going. My parents would be rather upset if the royal prince was late from staring at the sea all night.”

Pram nodded. “Fair point.”

Xehanort began steering her wheelchair back into the castle. They went silently through the halls, until finally ending up in a large, beautiful room with large windows on the walls, clear to view the remaining rays of the sunset. Pram caught sight of a few seashells embedded here and there along with jewels as well, and paintings of beautiful sea life, likely reminding everyone present of the beach nearby.

A few people had arrived before Pram and Xehanort, and she noticed a few give her some cold or confused looks as the two entered. Xehanort smiled and leaned closer to her. “You’re fine. They just were not expecting me to bring a guest.”

“No friendly warning first?”

“Made things more interesting this way.”

Xehanort wheeled Pram toward the group, stopping her a small ways away as he walked over to talk with them. She tried listening for a bit until the new people beginning to enter caught her attention instead.

There were several people now entering the ballroom. Pairs and groups and the occasional solo parties as well. Eventually the ballroom filled with more bodies than she’d ever seen while living in the undersea kingdom. The crowds conversed among themselves, several conversations at once, until a tinking sound gathered everyone’s attention.

Pram looked toward where the rest of the crowd was looking, thankful that Xehanort had at least left her somewhere she could see what was going on.

Up in front of the crowd stood Xehanort, a man, and a woman. The latter two were likely his parents. The woman had been the one who made the tinking noise, using a fork and a glass she was still holding. She stepped forward once the crowd had settled and smiled. “We thank you all for coming to our humble royal ball. Please enjoy the night and festivities in honor of our blessing from the sea.”

The woman stepped back, signalling she was finished, and gentle music started playing. Xehanort ducked away from the other two as the crowd started splitting up into dancers.

He appeared again next to Pram and smiled in greeting.

She tilted her head up at him in return. “Blessing from the sea?”

Xehanort chuckled. “They mean the fact that I came back alive from the incident with my ship.” He frowned, his eyes darkening a bit. “It completely sank at sea. The rest of the crew didn’t make it. I had miraculously ended up washed ashore, waking up to the sound of singing. My parents believe it was a blessing, that the sea ensured I would have a safe return.”

So none of them were aware of the true story. “Do you believe that?’

“If I’m honest, I am not sure what I believe. I’d like to investigate and find out someday.”

Pram nodded. She sat in silence for a few moments before looking up at him again. “Aren’t you going to dance?”

Xehanort chuckled again, his mood lifting. “Me? With who?” He looked out at the dance floor. “There are plenty who would love to dance with me, but I find them all a bit boring. I’m fine here with you.”

Pram blushed and nodded, watching the dancers as well.

The first song picked up pace as a second started, leading to a more upbeat tune. Pram’s eyes widened, recognizing the song as the same one from the ship.

The dancers, too, picked up pace, keeping a beat with the music. Pram smiled as she watched. Had the members of the ship danced the same way? It felt exhilarating to be there with the festivities, like she so wanted before.

Overwhelmed by the emotions, Pram moved without thinking. She jumped up out of her chair and rushed out to the dance floor. There, she danced, to her heart’s content. She twirled and stepped as if she’d been dancing on legs all her life. Pram felt the pain searing through her limbs with every step, but she didn’t stop to care. Tears of agony drenched her face as she smiled and continued her dance. Remembering her joy from before, she began to sing with the song as well, adding her own melody. It was almost exactly the kind of fun she wanted to experience when she had found the boat.

Eventually, finally, the song stopped, and Pram found herself dipped down into someone’s arms, her weight taken off of her legs. Looking up, she found herself staring face to face with Xehanort, an emotion in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read. The rest of the room had completely stopped dancing and were staring at them.

Xehanort smiled, and gently picked her up. He quietly carried Pram back to her wheelchair and set her back down in it. The rest of the crowd slowly returned to their dances as the two hung back out of the way.

For a moment, the two were quiet. Then, Xehanort turned to her and spoke. “You have the same voice as the one I heard on the beach.”

“...Yes.” The word was out before she thought.

“You know?” He paused, though Pram didn’t want to look up at his expression. “Then are you the one who rescued me?”

Pram wasn’t quite sure she could lie now, but she couldn’t tell the full truth either. “I helped, a bit.”

“...I owe you my life.”

“No, no.” Pram chuckled, trying to ease the mood. “I just… reacted. Something in my heart just told me to help you.”

“Still, I’d like to thank you somehow.” Xehanort took her hand. “How about a boat tour on the sea? There will be extra safety precautions, I’m sure it would be lovely.”

Pram looked up at him. It did sound lovely. “Alright. I suppose.”

“Wonderful.” Xehanort smiled.

The rest of the night was rather uneventful, save for the bundle of emotions feeling like it wanted to burst out of Pram’s chest. After the ball, Xehanort helped wheel Pram back up to her room, and the two exchanged a goodnight.

Pram tried to be more careful this time about changing into her nightclothes, but found difficulty in trying to figure out how to get off her dress. She didn’t want to accidentally tear it, so she decided to simply remove the spare jewels and accessories that had been added for the ball instead, leaving the dress on as she eased her way into bed.

Pram slept well that night, enough so that she slept in the next morning as well. The sun was well up in the sky by the time she woke up.

She fixed up her clothes and hair again and eased her way into her wheelchair. With some effort, she managed to figure out how to roll herself out of the room.

Pram wheeled down the hall a bit before meeting Xehanort. He smiled in greeting. “I was wondering when you would wake up. Hello.”

“Good morning.”

Xehanort stepped forward and took the wheelchair, pushing her through the rest of the hall. “Let’s get your bandages cleaned first, then shall we go to the ship?”

“Already?”

“If you want the real view, we need more time to sail out.”

Pram chuckled. “Of course. Fair enough.”

Xehanort wheeled her back to the infirmary, where she once again went through the routine of the staff putting fresh new bandages on her legs.

Once that was finished, it was time to leave the castle. Rather than go directly to the beach, Xehanort steered her to a set of bridges and docks nearby. All sorts of ships were neatly lined up with the docks, with several people working on them or moving between them.

Many of the sailors stopped to bow or offer polite welcomings as Xehanort and Pram passed by. Xehanort responded to a few in return, speaking a bit more casually to them than they did to him.

Pram, however, found herself distracted by all the various shapes and sizes of ships. They were as individual as the people who sailed them, and she wondered which one would be the one she got to ride.

Really, the concept devolved into wondering if each ship she saw was the one, until they passed by it.

Finally, they came up to what had to be the biggest ship among them all. It was beautiful, with the wood painted in pale whites and pearls. The crew that greeted Xehanort were friendlier than the other sailors they’d met, though there was still a faint air of them knowing they were conversing with a royal figure.

Xehanort carefully helped Pram up onto the ship once he was finished talking. It was a bit awkward, the strange plank they used to get on and off of it hadn’t really been made with a wheelchair in mind, but the two managed to get comfortably aboard.

After a bit more time, the crew filed onto the ship as well. One called out to Xehanort as he walked by. “Ready to set sail, sir?”

Xehanort smiled down at Pram. “Are we ready?”

She smiled back. “Yes, of course!”

He chuckled and turned to the man. “You heard her. It would be rude to keep a lady waiting.”

The sailor nodded and dashed to give the news to the rest of the crew. In what hardly felt like a moment, everyone dispersed to various parts of the ship, and it slowly began moving.

Xehanort wheeled Pram over closer to the edge, and she watched the docks move further and further way as they set sail.

A new ache slowly eased through her legs as the shore slowly became a small silhouette in the distance. It wasn’t necessarily as painful as walking on them was, but it was noticeable and getting mildly irritating.

Was the dull ache just a reminder of her true form? She did somewhat miss the sea, but she was so much happier sailing with Xehanort. In the two short days she got to know him, she had been having the most wonderful time of her life.

Pram frowned as a memory tried to surface. It had been two days. Something about that day being day number three was important.

She swallowed a gasp, not wanting to alert the rest of the ship to her thoughts. The Mother’s spell only lasted three days. If she didn’t receive true love’s kiss sometime that night, she’d have to go back to the life of a mermaid.

Pram looked up at Xehanort, who was also watching the sea. How was she supposed to convince him to give her true love’s kiss? What exactly would even be considered true love’s kiss?

The worry loomed over her head for the rest of the cruise. She loved the music from the band that had been brought aboard, but the urge to dance just couldn’t fight past the foreboding dread of goodbye.

As the day went on, Xehanort seemed to notice Pram’s mood. He stayed close, offering thoughts, talking about the comfort of the ride, but it only served to add a layer of awkwardness to Pram’s worries. No amount of idle conversation would lead to true love’s kiss in barely a few hours.

Pram stared over the side of the ship again and sighed. Xehanort stood next to her, not understanding the issue, and not aware at all how to help. Though if anything, the comforting gesture just made Pram feel more depressed. They could have spent their final moments together in bliss, but instead she just couldn’t get her mind anywhere near happiness.

The sun slowly started setting over the waves, ticking down each second they had left. Pram noticed the ache in her legs had burned into a straining presence. The sea was starting to call her back home.

Perhaps she could just ignore the call and stay up on the ship. Xehanort could fill a huge container with water, and Pram could just live there the rest of her life. It would probably be extremely boring, but at least she’d have her beloved.

Pram pondered the idea, wondering if there could be some way to improve it. As she did, she caught the sound of some of the sailors raising their voices. The words “traitor” and “attack” rang loudest.

Xehanort stepped away from the side of the boat and whirled around. Before he could do anything though, an explosion sounded. It rocked the ship, nearly tipping it over completely. Most of the crew hung on safely, but Pram, who’d been left momentarily alone in her wheelchair, found herself tumbling over the edge she’d been staring from.

Pram plummeted down into the water, with the wheelchair following after her. Fear slammed into her as she struggled to right herself. Her legs burned with a pain she’d never felt before, and she watched as they started fusing themselves back into a tail. Pram covered her mouth to keep herself from shouting, not quite sure if she could breathe underwater again yet and not wanting to test it out.

A third figure dropped into the water, and Pram recognized the shape of Xehanort as he swam toward her. Pram’s heart seized in both hope and worry. There was no way to hide her transformation from him.

If Xehanort noticed her mutated legs, he didn’t show it. He carefully grabbed Pram, pulling her close and steadying her.

Xehanort caught sight of Pram covering her mouth and frowned. He looked up at the ship, as if thinking. Pram looked up as well, though it was hard to gauge what happened when she fell. She stared obliviously at the bottom of the ship, trying to figure out what Xehanort was looking for.

Whatever it was, Xehanort didn’t seem to find it either. He looked back at Pram, who was starting to get uncomfortable holding her hand over her mouth.

Suddenly, with no hesitation in the action, Xehanort pulled Pram’s hand away and slammed his mouth against hers.

Confusion struck Pram first, as Xehanort held her as close as he could. Then, as the shock wore off, she realized there was the slightest exchange of breath between them. It certainly wasn’t enough for survival, but it was enough to snap her back into focus.

Pram’s legs had fused much closer back into the shape of a tail by that point. It still burned, but it was easier to swim with.

She grabbed hold of Xehanort and kicked at the water, propelling them upwards. Both started coughing as their heads broke the surface.

Xehanort quickly grabbed Pram’s attention. “We need to get away from the ship!”

“What? Why?”

“Someone on board is trying to kill me!”

That certainly seemed plenty reason to get moving. Pram started swimming back toward the shore, leaving the ship behind them.

She dragged Xehanort up onto the beach, like she’d done the last time they fled.

Xehanort hauled himself out of the water and turned to help Pram. His eyes widened once he caught sight of her. “Pram, your legs!”

She turned to look down at her still flesh-colored tail and frowned. “I know.”

“You know?”

She nodded. With only a few moments before she would have to return to the sea, perhaps it was time to tell someone the truth. “Xehanort… I’m a mermaid, from the sea. When I rescued you, I wanted to meet you for myself, so I had my tail turned into legs.” She flapped it lazily into the water, to help make her point. “Unless given true love’s kiss, the spell only lasted three days.”

Xehanort looked out over the sea. The last rays of the setting sun were becoming hardly visible. “Is that all it needs for you to stay?”

“Yes.”

He nodded. “Do you wish to stay?”

“I’ve been hoping.”

His lips were suddenly back against hers. They kissed, tenderly, as Xehanort pulled her close.

Pram moved closer, and was startled upon realizing her legs were moving separately. She broke the kiss to look down at them.

Xehanort smiled. “I suppose you gave up on that time limit too soon.”

Pram hugged him, and Xehanort lifted her up to carry her back to the castle.

Unfortunately, Pram still couldn’t use her legs. In fact, they seemed to have gotten worse, hardly supporting her weight anymore. However, they at least stopped bleeding, and Xehanort was happy to help her stand up and dance should she want to.

The two married, and though Pram never heard from her father again, the hidden sea kingdom sent its own form of blessings to the wedding. The gifts of crystalline seashells and pearls were enough to prove to Pram that all was well.

She lived on the land for the rest of her life, with the man she deeply loved. It was a decision she was completely happy with.

**Author's Note:**

> id also like to note, on the topic of the "OC" tag - the Mother is something of an OC of mine that i like to add sometimes when i need a character to add a little magical chaos :'3c  
> she seemed like she would fit in this fic for a little cameo


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